we are not good. Can the Almighty Being be good, without being just? or just, without being feared by creatures so corrupt and frail? Does he not govern the world he made, and will he not judge that world in righteousness? Can sin be hid from such a Governor? Or can it escape unpunished from such a Judge? We, who are so prone by nature and habit to sin; we, who are assaulted by so many temptations from without, and betrayed by so great weakness from within, ought surely to fear him, who knows all things, and who can forget nothing; who is of so great power, that he 'doth what he will, both in heaven and earth;' who is of such inconceivable majesty, that the earth and the heaven fly away from before his face;' who makes justice and judgment the habitation of his seat;' who will render to every man according to his deeds, to them who, by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, and honour, and immortality, eternal life; but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doth evil; but glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good.' Nay, even the mercy of God is a reason for our fears; for the Psalmist says, 'There is mercy with thee: therefore shalt thou be feared.'

What now was fear made for, if not for this object, in all respects so infinitely awful? too wise to be deceived! too just to be biassed! too mighty to be resisted! too great, too glorious, too majestic, to be thought of by angels without infinite reverence, or by men, guilty men, without terror and trembling!

The

In respect to all other objects of fear, we may observe, that the more we know them, the less we fear them. first attempts, in thinking minds, are always attended with fear. The first speech before a great assembly, the first storm at sea, or the first battle, shake those minds which gather confidence, and contract a contempt for their former terrors, from a farther familiarity with such trials. This shews experimentally how ignorance and rawness are concerned in our fears. The fear of every thing, but God, waits on ignorance, and frightens us in the dark, like phantoms, that shun the approach of light. But in respect to God, it is quite otherwise; the more we know of his holiness, and

our own vileness, the more reason we find to fear him, inasmuch as we cannot possibly judge what resolutions he may have formed as to the eternal state of our souls. Some men complain of obscurity in his word; but without reason; for we may easily see therein, what are the terms on which pardon and mercy are offered. But we cannot so easily understand ourselves, or find out whether we are comprehended in those terms; whether we have that faith, that repentance, that charity, which are necessary to entitle us to the promises, and exempt us from the threatenings, that are annexed to our covenant. Hence must unavoidably arise such deep and keen apprehensions, as nothing but a total reformation of manners, that only sign of peace with God, can ever banish.

As reason should direct all the passions to their proper objects, so it should place our fear, in particular, on that Being, who only hath it in his power to make us happy or miserable. From him all our pleasures and pains, all our joys and sorrows, proceed; and therefore on him should we turn all our fears, disdaining to humble them to inferior causes, that can affect us no farther than they are permitted or directed by the first-moving Cause of all things, the absolute Disposer of all events. Here we should listen to the advice of our blessed Saviour, who thus accosts us by the name of friends; Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom you shall fear: fear him who, after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell. Yea, I say unto you, fear him.'

It is God then whom we should, not principally, but only, fear. It is gross ignorance, it is superstition, nay, it is a degree of Atheism, to fear any thing else; for whoever bath embraced the true religion, ought to know, that all things else are his instruments, not even excepting the wicked, who, although they act by a will contrary to his, are nevertheless overruled, and forced into his service, in their most rebellious actions; so that be the power they are for a time permitted to exercise what it will, God shall in the end be found to have been the master, and they the servants, though servants whose wages is death.'

The wisdom and happiness of fearing God will appear as evident as the fore-mentioned motives that excite it, if we

reflect on the admirable effects it hath on the mind. Give me leave to single out some of the most distinguished. First, It gives us practical and saving wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have they that do his commandments. A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil.' Nay, it is even called wisdom itself; The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.' If it is 'by fear and trembling that we are to work out our salvation,' then happy is he who fears God; happy he who trembles at the apprehensions of his displeasure, and is thereby roused to repentance, and newness of life, which shall bring 'peace at the last.' But still happier he, in whom fear comes before sin, and prevents the necessity of repentance. Such a man owes true wisdom to that which appears a weakness in other men, for no other reason but because their fears are sunk beneath the dignity of their nature, to things of little importance, of no power, or perhaps of such tendencies and dispositions, as ought to have made them desirable, instead of dreadful. He who fears God, fears to offend him now, of all men, there is none wiser than he, who is void of offence towards God, to whom vengeance belongeth, and who will surely repay.'

Thoughtless libertines may call this fear slavish and cowardly, if they please; but since it preserves us in our duty, and guides us to happiness, we shall be bold to esteem it wisdom, rather than that sort of resolution, which laughs at hell, and is frightened at the stumbling of a horse; which insults God with blasphemous ribaldry and horrible wickedness, while it poorly trembles at a funeral in the next house. Little minds must have little fears, for want of sufficient sense and greatness of soul to aspire towards a nobler object of apprehension.

It is true, the love of God is a much nobler motive to act on, than the fear even of him. But this fear is the surest road to that love, and therefore is rightly called 'the beginning of wisdom.' Such is human infirmity, that repentance seldom begins in a mind accustomed to sin, on high and generous considerations, but rather on lower motives, suitable to that abject sense of things, which a course of wickedness never fails to leave behind it. Hence it is, that the fear of

God is, for the most part, necessary to begin the happy work with. No favours, no blessings, can win those, who have run on for a considerable time in a course of wickedness, 'to turn and behold the goodness of God.' They love and pursue other objects, more sensible and more present to their desires. But when God, to draw their attention to himself, presents his rod and displays his terrors, their fears immediately take the alarm. Their other passions are hushed and awed, and the whole force of attention listens to the chastising lesson, through the awakened dread of a still severer visitation. When, by this fatherly expedient, God hath put a stop to the career of sin, and is himself become the object of meditation; in proportion as repentance advances, he changes his looks, lays aside his rod, and presents himself to the heart, overwhelmed with fear, in a form so lovely, so expressive of pity, so full of mercy, as never fails to change the fear of the penitent into reverence, and melt his soul into love and shame, which puts the finishing hand to his reformation. There is nothing so apt to fill us with love, as forbearance and favour from one, who we know hath not only the power, but a right, to destroy us. But we seldom consider either this power or this right in God, till he makes us taste an earnest of it in some alarming correction. When this, however, is done, and hath, by the grace and blessing of him who laid it on us, roused us from sin, and new-set the heart to a course of piety and obedience, we have then little to fear from God, nothing indeed but what may proceed from the apprehensions of a relapse. Then God and our souls are become mutual objects of love. The gracious Being is all tenderness to a heart broken by repentance, and humbling himself before him. No friend, no father, can feel the bowels of compassion for us, that soften the heart of God to the true penitent. As the anger of God is now changed to pity, so ought the apprehensions of the truly reformed to be converted into hopes, his horrors into love, his doubts into trust, and his sorrows and tears into consolation and joy. As the heaven is high above the earth, so great is the mercy of God towards them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed their transgressions from them.'

Now, was that fear, which produced so happy a reforma

tion, a low or slavish passion? Did it argue him a coward; who durst no longer contend with God, nor risk his soul on a trial between Almighty vengeance, and human impenitence? Was he a fool for being reformed? No; next to him who never greatly fell, this is of all men the wisest; and if he perseveres in his new course of virtue, in spite of all his spiritual enemies can do to beat him from it, we ought to pronounce him a man of true courage, a glorious conqueror of himself, though the fear of God should still continue to keep him on his guard. Such we have reason sufficient from the word of God to believe he will appear at that day, when the now stupidly triumphant libertine shall call on the hills to hide him, and the mountains to cover him, from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.' The fears of the penitent will then appear to have had infinitely more wisdom in them, than all the boasted reason, and conceited subtilties of the self-sufficient. Nay, these truly wise and virtuous fears will appear on that occasion to have had more of true courage in them, than the silly swagger of the infidel.

Having now seen, that the fear of God is the first, the most powerful motive to reformation, and the best preservative of vigilance, as long as there is any danger of a relapse; we shall easily perceive the meaning of my text, and be able to assign the reason, why in the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence.' That fear should beget confidence, seems, at first sight, to be against the nature of things; but when we consider, that it is the fear of God, the obscurity clears up, and shews the sentiment to be one of those deep or dark sayings, wherein consisted great part of that wisdom, for which the ancient eastern sages were so famous. The fear of God produces an awful attention to his commands, and keeps us steady to our duty; duty, although at first performed through fear, if persevered in, naturally ends in piety; piety cannot long possess the heart, without improving into love; and love is no sooner brought to maturity, than it casteth out fear,' that is, all uneasy boding fears, and begets confidence; confidence in whom? Why, in God; whose promises are truth itself, and whose power is boundless.

He who fears as he ought that infinite Being, who 'doth